Farewell to the Bookers...

Hey everyone!

Hope you're having a good day. It's pretty cloudy here in Florida right now. Lost of mist rising from everything. Florida's still confusing with with the weather... One minute, we'll be driving in torrential rain and thunder, the next minute we'll be out sweating to death walking around, the next minute we'll be getting blown away by wind. 

A lot happened this week and I've been really exhausted for the last few days. My companion and I do "tradeoffs" with the other 8 Elders in our district here in Gainesville (basically we just switch companions for the day, just to make sure they're doing well/feel loved/aren't breaking any mission rules.) We had three, back to back, last week, and that was really tiring, though also fulfilling. BUT it was all made up for by last night. What happened last night?

The "Why I Believe" devotional in Jacksonville! Since I play viola, I got to go play with our mission orchestra and choir because we did a musical number. There were a couple other musical numbers and several beautiful testimonies from recent converts. The Spirit was strong, lessons were learned, and it was great to see the missionaries in Jacksonville.

We got a ride up with the Bookers. Here's a picture of me with them that we took last night. Just so you know who is being talked about.

    The Bookers are one of the best, most loving, most caring couples I've met in my entire life. They were baptized when they were both 26 - they'd only been married for a few years, and they were living in LA. They had a little baby girl and another was on the way.

Now, fast forward 40 years. They have 8 kids and many grandkids. They just served a senior couple mission teaching religion classes at the church building off campus here at the University of Florida. They've blessed many, many, many lives of people inside and outside of the church. They go back home to their family in Utah this Friday.

The missionaries who taught them had absolutely no idea the impact they made on the Bookers' lives, and on the lives of thousands of other people, including my life. They taught and baptized the Bookers, who have taught and helped so many others. They helped me when I started out my mission in Gainesville as a nervous 18 year old a long ways away from home. Even the first time that I met them, I could feel of their loving kindness.

Point is, they've helped me understand that everybody makes a difference. We usually don't recognize the differences that we are making in people's lives, just like those missionaries who first taught them didn't know all the long-term repercussions of teaching the Bookers. A lot of people don't want the loving service you want to give, but it makes a difference in the long run.

Love you all - I hope you have a great, fun filled week!

Elder Rice has been out for just over a month and we had an exchange. He is going into veterinary medicine when he goes home. He loves dogs. A lot. He has charity for them. 

The city of Archer! I finally got a picture to out to the place. It's my favorite place in our area - the people are so sincere, honest, and humble.

    This is Cherrie, a lady the other elders have been teaching. I know her daughter and grandkids well from Wisconsin.  Her daughter asked my mom to tell me to check in on her during the hurricane last month. The other missionaries live closer to her, and they helped her out and talked with her a bunch. Long story short, she's being baptized this Saturday, and I interviewed her for baptism last Saturday. Exciting? Yes!